Adventures in genealogy

Belles & Beaus: Galecki Wedding, 1926

The second edition of the Smile for the Camera carnival focuses on Belles & Beaus: Choose a photograph of an ancestor, relative, yourself, or an orphan photograph that shows a memorable wedding, courting/dating, or a photograph depicting young/old love.

I’ve shown a few photos of belles and beaus here, including my parents’ wedding photo and a “mystery” photo that may or may not show my great-grandfather as the Best Man at his cousin’s wedding in Germany. But I’ve selected this special photo to best represent the topic:

This photo depicts the wedding of Jane Zawodna and Sigmund Galecki in 1926 (make that 1925 thanks to the new Philadelphia Marriage License records that are now online). The wedding ceremony was likely at St. Adalbert’s Church in Philadelphia, and the photographer was probably in the Port Richmond neighborhood where they (and the church) resided. The “Maid of Honor” is my grandmother, Mae (or Marianna) Zawodna, Jane’s sister (if you recognize her, another photo of her from the same event was featured here). I do not know the identity of the “Best Man”, but I hope to learn more later this summer as I attempt to contact my cousins, the descendants of Jane and Sigmund (called “Ziggy”).

[This post was written for the 2nd edition of Smile for the Camera, a Carnival of Images.]

I am so glad to have found this site. I have also been doing research for my husband, Richard Zaleski. We had never seen this picture before and are very excited. My husband tells me the “best man” in this photo is his Uncle Louie. Louis was the younger brother of Sigmund. Sigmund and Louis were brothers of my mother-in-law, Tessie Galecki. We keep in touch with Uncle Louie’s son, Walter.